Friday, November 8, 2013

Have You Ever Wondered? Why I Love Sakura Gel Pens!

Good morning…Martha Richardson here. Isn't the Nov. Kit incredible with so many great products to try along with the Art Journal Coloring Pages designed by Catherine Scanlon. When thinking about which product I would highlight this month I decided it had to be the Sakura Gel Pens included in the kit.

I've avoided Gel Pens because I was never satisfied by the way they worked but this summer I purchased several Sakura Gel Pens upon the recommendation of Catherine Scanlon. To say it's now a love affair is an understatement!!!Let's take a look at these Gel Pens:In 1984, Sakura invented the first gel-based ink. Ice cream smooth® Gelly Roll® pens come in colorful varieties from medium and fine point classic gel ink to Metallic, sparkly Stardust®, fluorescent Moonlight®, and more. The history is quite interesting and you can read more here at the Sakura Website.In the Nov. kit you received the green and turquoise Sakura Glaze 3-D Glossy Ink pen. A three-dimensional (3-D) ink leaves a distinct impression and once dry leaves a raised, line that you can feel. Great for handwritten lettering on DIY paper craft projects and non-porous surfaces such as plastics, coated papers, acetate, vellums and glass. Brings depth, texture and dimension to your project.When using remember to write slowly so the ink flows out thickly and make sure to dry completely {about 10 minutes}. It is water resistant and dries to a glossy – glaze look. The Sakura Gelly Roll Metallic pens create a a reflective sheen with archival quality ink that is chemically stable, waterproof, and fade resistant. Great for use on both light and dark papers. A 3-pack of gold, silver and copper will be great for any project that you want to add a little pizzaz to!The Sakura Souffle Pen 3-D Opaque Ink is another 3-D pen and is used in the same manner as the Glaze 3-D. The difference is in the finish that it creates is a matte, opaque color. There are several colors but you will received white which will add a great look for any craft project.There are several other Gelly Roll pens available from Sakura and I highly recommended all of them! Here is a list of the other pens and links to them. Sakura's website is filled with wonderful information including tips, videos and project ideas. Here are links to all the various types of Gelly Pens.Gelly Roll® Classic™ Fine & Medium PointGelly Roll Moonlight®Gelly Roll® Metallic™Gelly Roll Gold Shadow™Gelly Roll Silver Shadow®

If you like these pens then I suggest you take a look at this Gelly Roll® 64 Pen Set…with the holidays rapidly approaching it would make a great gift.

The
biggest question is how to use the Gelly Pens as they are quite different from
a ballpoint pen. Here is the #1 tip:

#1. Use gel pens
gently. A gel pen has an internal mechanism that works differently from a
ballpoint pen.

Make circular motions
on paper with your gel pen. The motion makes the tip (ball) roll and causes the
gel ink to be pulled into the ball tip chamber. Avoid hitting either end on a hard surface to keep from jamming a gel pen.

Keep the caps on gel
pens to keep them from going dry. The gel ink in gel pens cause them to dry up
much faster than the ink in a ballpoint pen. The cap must be closed completely
so that a seal is formed in order to keep the gel liquid.

Roll the tip of a gel
pen in a circle slowly in order to get the ink flowing again if a pen stops
working. The movement can get the gel flowing over the roller again.

Write on matte
surfaces for the best result. Gel pens don't write as well on glossy or greasy
surfaces.

Let's take a look at the Art Journal pages I created for todays tutorial using the Sakura Gelly Pens with the Art Journal Coloring Pages. I used an assortment of different Gelly Roll Pens…Metallic, Souffle, Stardust. I also used the Niji Pearlescent Watercolor set {which is FABULOUS and would require it's own separate blog post!}.

I had so much fun sitting and coloring I had to add one more project, this time using one of Catherine Scanlon Designs Nature Grid Stamp found in the FDS store.

For this project I used only the pens included in the kit.

I love the look and even though it's not evident

I used the white Souffle pens also.

I so appreciate you stopping by and spending time with me. I can't tell you how much I loved working with this kit. Now make sure you stop by daily and see what the other design team members have created. I have one more project coming up so make sure you look out for that.